I suspect that as more journal articles become conveniently accessible,
without tolls, six months to a year after publication, authors of journal
articles will become increasingly willing to pay a fair price for
_immediate_ free web access (IFWA). The Entomological Society of America
is currently the only publisher that offers its authors this opportunity.

For the first two months of 2001, 44% of the authors of articles in ESA's
four principal journals paid for IFWA. For the March issue of its Journal
of Medical Entomology, 53% of authors paid. ESA is making money and their
authors are being allowed to buy something they want. Will authors in
other society-published journals have to lobby their governing boards
before being offered convenient IFWA at a fair price?